Was Richard Ramirez born to become the Night Stalker—or was he created?

Before Richard Ramirez terrorized California as the Night Stalker, he was a quiet kid from El Paso who showed few of the early warning signs we associate with psychopathy. But over time, the ingredients began to accumulate: possible prenatal toxic exposure, neurological problems, violence at home, drugs, sexual fantasy, and the extraordinary influence of a cousin who introduced him to images and stories of rape, torture and murder.

In this episode, I’m joined by forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston to retrace Ramirez’s life and examine how those influences came together. We follow his progression from childhood to burglary, sexual violence and ultimately murder, while exploring the psychology behind his crimes, his seemingly unpredictable choice of victims, and the Satanic persona that helped turn him into one of the most feared serial killers in American history.

Show Notes:

If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.

Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7

If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/

For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.

Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast

UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.

What is it like to survive an encounter with a serial killer—and then learn what he did to the men who came after you?
In this episode of UNMARKED Case Notes, I sit down with Mark Henderson, a survivor of Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur.

Mark takes us inside his encounter with McArthur: how they met, what happened between them, the details that have stayed with him, and what it was like to later discover that McArthur had murdered eight men.

We also talk about the Bruce McArthur investigation, the warning signs that were missed, and what Mark’s experience reveals about the man behind one of Canada’s most notorious serial murder cases.

This is a firsthand account of Bruce McArthur from someone who encountered him—and survived.

#BruceMcArthur #TrueCrime #SerialKiller #SurvivorStory #CaseNotes

Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.

A deeply polarizing story is unfolding in Massachusetts, where a young mother is accused of killing her three children inside their family home. As the case moves forward, it has sparked fierce debate over mental health, motherhood, responsibility—and whether the devastating events of that day could have been prevented in the days leading up to the tragedy..

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the final arguments in the Lindsey Clancy case and what we know about the insanity defense.

Then we get into your questions: How did Charles McArthur hide in plain sight for so long, why do siblings of serial killers often have normal lives, and which serial killer would James would most like to sit.